Banjo



A. L; WILLIAMS.

BANJO.

APPLICATION FILED MAY27,1921.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

PATENT OFFICE.

ABBA L. WILLIAMS, OF UTICA, NEW YORK.

BANJO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21,- 1922.

Application filed May 27, 1921. Serial No. 473,198.

To all whom it may coowera:

Be it known that 1, ABBA L. VVILLiAns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Utica,'in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Banjos; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the reference numerals marked thereon, whichform part of this specification.

My present invention relates to banjos.

The purpose of my invention is to provide novel and improved means for mounting the head upon the rim of the banjo and for adjusting the head to the proper position.

A further purpose of the invention is to providemeansfor so adjustably mounting the head upon the rim which means are convenient, simple and eflicient for assembling and adjusting; and further to have said construction of such character that the banjo is free from projecting screws, nuts. hooks or other irregular fastening members.

A still further purpose of my invention is to' provide fastening means of the character described which are smooth and pleasing to the sight and touch and wherein the adjusting screws and nuts are entirely housed within the rim and the straining hoop.

Further purposes will appear from the specification and claims herein.

Fig. 1 is a View partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section of a banjo embodying my construction.

Fig. 2 is a view partly sectional on line 22 of Fig. 1 and partly a plan view of the neck side of the banjo.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to the left-hand upper corner of Fig. 1 but on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings in a more particular description it will be seen that the banjo consists of a rim 6 having the usual neck 7, the usual head 8 of skin, the edge of which is folded about or engaged by an annular flesh hoop 9, a straining hoop 10, adjusting screws 11 and eared nuts 12.

In the rim 6 near its top there are provided a plurality of apertures 13 extending in from the outer side 14 of the rim but preferably not extending all the way through the body of the rim.- Registering with each of In each. of the apertures 13 in screw threaded engagement with the upper end of the screw 11 is the nut 12 having an ear 2O projecting from the aperture 13 a short distance outside the outer side 14 of the rim 6. The extreme inner end of the adjusting screw 11 may be pointed or cone shape and fitted into a similar shaped recess 21 at the upper ide of aperture 13 in order to further brace the screw but this detail while preferred is not necessary.

The head 8 as plainly indicated in Fig. 3 extends over the top of the rim 6 and then down a short distance outside the rim and there enfolds the flesh hoop 9 as by passing below the said hoop and then up outside and over the top of said hoop.

The straining hoop 10 is provided on its inner side, that is its side towards the rim 6 with an annular groove 22. Into the upper part of this groove there projects the outer portion of the flesh hoop 9 about which is wrapped the outer edge of the head 8. Into the lower part of the groove 22 project the outer ends of the ears 20 of adjusting nuts 12. The straining hoop 10 may for convenience of assembling be made split or cut at one point with its ends provided with oppositely disposed ears 23 and 24:, one ear as 23 being provided with a screwthreaded aperture 25 to receive the shank of screw 26 let into a similar but plain hole in the other car 24. Preferably the joined ends of the straining hoop will be placed at the neck 7 so that the ears may be let into an appropriately-shaped recess 7 formed at that point in the neck.

Assuming that the head is placed over the top of the rim with the edge of the head wrapped about the flesh hoop 9 in the usual way and that the adjusting screws 11 and nuts 12 are in place the straining hoop will be opened up as by separating its cared ends enough to place the straining hoop into position about the rim with the flesh hoop 9 and its attached edge of the head in the the annular groove 22 in the straining hoop.

As these projecting ends of the eared nuts are thus drawn away from the top of the rim it will be obvious that the flesh hoop 9 and the edge of the head wrapped thereabout will be engaged by the shoulder at the u per side of the annular groove 22 whereby the head will be held and stretched into proper position upon therim. Further adjustment or straining of the head may be had by. further rotation of the screws or by rotation of some of them if only local adjustment is necessary. By reversing the steps above mentioned the straining hoop may be removed and the head removed from the rim in an obvious manner.

It will now be seenthat I have provided a banjo .construction which is very simple, durable and eflicient and one wherein the parts may be readily assembledor taken apart by the ordinary'user of the banjo.

It will be noted, furthermore, that all of the screws, nuts and the projecting ends of the nuts are entirely concealed and housed within the rim and the straining hoop. In this way the banjo both outside the rim and even on the inner side or cavity of the rim is free from irregular projections or other parts that would interfere with its being easily handled or readily kept clean.

lVha-t I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a banjo, the combination of a rim having in its outer side near the top a plurality of apertures and screw holes extending into said apertures from the bottom edge of the rim, a flesh hoop outside the rim, a head over the top of the rim with its edge engaged by the flesh hoop, nuts in said apertures having ears projecting outside the rim, adjusting screws in said screw holes of the rim with their inner ends engaging said eared nuts and a straining hoop outside the rim having on its inner side an annular groove receiving the flesh hoop and therebelow the projecting ears of the said nuts.

2. In a banjo the combination of a rim having in its outer side near the top a plurality of apertures and holes extending into said apertures from the bottom edge of the rim, a flesh hoop outside the rim, a head over the top of the rim with its edge engaged by the flesh hoop, holding members in said apertures having ears projecting outside the rim, adjusting members in said holes of the rim with their inner ends co-operatively engaging said eared holding members and a straining hoop outside the rim having in its inner side an annular groove receiving the flesh hoop and therebelow the projecting ears of said holding members.

In witness whereof I have afiixed my signature, this 18 day of May 1921.

ARBA L. WILLIAMS. 

